Hairnets may be used for a variety of purposes, for example in catering establishments and factories where foodstuffs are manufactured and/or packaged, or pharmaceutical or cosmetic manufacturing establishments where it is required that workers keep their hair covered at all times for reasons of hygiene. Other forms of headwear are also known for similar purposes; in the context of the embodiments herein the term “hairnet” should be understood to encompass all such headwear.
Hairnets may be made by a variety of processes in a number of styles according to the desired product type. Many styles include an elasticated material incorporated close to the edges of the fabric which can be stretched to mount the hairnet in position and which relaxes slightly when in position on the head but is under sufficient tension to hold the hair in position under the hairnet. In such styles, it is conventional to produce a continuous band of fabric, for example of woven or knitted cloth, with individual hairnets being made by crimping at two points (cinch points) corresponding to the front and back of the hairnet and cutting the hairnet so formed from the continuous band of fabric. In another method, the edges of a segment of material, commonly rectangular in shape, are drawn together into at least one cinch point where the material forming the hairnet is fastened into gathers or bunches. Accordingly, at the cinch point, the fabric of the hairnet is formed into a bunch or a lump accommodating excess material to allow a substantially rectangular fabric to fit snugly over the contours of the upper part of the head. Commonly, the hairnet is positioned on the head so that the cinch point is located at the nape of the neck and an optional second cinch point is located at the forehead.
Hairnets may also be worn in sporting events or other physical exercise to restrain the hair, for example to keep it out of the eyes, to hold it close to the head in a streamlined manner and/or to hold it off the face for appearance purposes. Often in such events, especially in equestrian events, it is necessary to wear a close fitting hard hat over the hairnet. On such occasions, it is uncomfortable for the wearer to have a lump of bunched material in the hairnet under a helmet.